The Ring
by starrynight2010
Summary: It's Serena's first year at college. Like any college student, she meets new people and faces challenges she must overcome on her own and with the help of her new friends.
1. Chapter 1

**The Ring**

Disclaimer: Don't own Sailor Moon.

_Chapter One: Moving._

"Serena! We need to go if we're going to get there in time!" Irene yelled up the stairs as her husband came down the stairs carrying one of his daughters suitcases.

"I'm coming mom! I'm just making sure I have everything." Serena yelled back as she turning around to look one last time at her room before she left for college

Serena noticed how empty it felt now. True, there was a lot of clothes left in her closet and dresser, but it was clothing she never wore and most of her posters and pictures still hung on the wall. But the one's of her and her friends, family, and most importantly, her boyfriend were all packed and already in the car. Picking up her backpack that held her laptop and purse, Serena looked around one last time before she walked out of her bedroom to move in to her new home in Sacramento.

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"Hi, Welcome to Unit 2. I'm Rita, first floor RA. What's your name?" A brown haired woman asked, her green eyes happy to introduce herself to Serena.

"Serena Tsukino." Serena answered as Rita's eyes lit up.

"You're Andrews cousin, aren't you?" She asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess he's told all of you that I was coming here, didn't he?" Serena confirmed, a cringe on her face.

"Yeah, he did. Let me take you to your room. Here's your key." Rita said with a smile as she lead Serena up the stairs to her room. "There's good news and bad news about this building, good news, it's made of brick so it stays cool in the summer and warm in the winter; bad news, no elevator. But it is only three floors." Rita commented as they climbed to the third floor.

"Hmm... It seems I live the farthest away from the main stairwell." Serena commented as they reached the end of the hall.

"Yeah." Rita agreed as she stood beside the door, "Go on, open it." She then urged.

Serena opened the door and looked into the room, to her surprise; someone was already in there.

Serena assumed the other person was her roommate. She has long blonde hair, like her own , and blue eyes, again, like hers. They could have been twins. The only difference was that the girl in the room wore her hair down while Serena had her hair in pig-tails.

"Hi, I'm Mina. I guess you're my roommate." Mina introduced herself as she stood up to greet Serena.

"Yeah, hi, I'm Serena." Serena introduced herself as she put her back pack and duffle bag down on the empty bed.

"It's good to meet you." Mina smiled at her.

"Yeah, me too." Serena answered, "Um. I have some more stuff I have to bring up; so, I'll be coming in and out." Serena said, unsure of what to say.

"Of course." Mina said as Serena walked towards the door.

It only took one trip with her mother, brother, father, and cousin helping. It's not that she brought a lot of stuff, it's just that they didn't have any big suitcases; so everything had to be packed in small suitcases and boxes. After everything was brought up to the room, Serena's family left. Leaving her to un-pack and get to know her new roommate.

"Wow, I thought I had brought a lot of stuff." Mina commented as they both looked at all the boxes that were piled up on the floor and Serena's bed.

"Well, we didn't really have any big suitcases, so I had to use what we had; which was small boxes, a couple of small suitcases, and my duffle bag. Moving out's going to be the hard thing." Serena commented.

"Yeah, but we have a year before that. So, where are you from?" Mina asked as Serena started to un-pack her clothing.

"I'm from Watsonville; It's near Santa Cruz. You?" Serena asked.

"SLO. I mean, San Luis Obispo." Mina answered.

"Cool, I hear it's like another Santa Cruz down there." Serena commented.

"Yeah, it is." Mina said as Serena began to un-pack

Throughout the rest of the day and that night, Serena and Mina became acquainted with each other. Serena found out that Mina had one younger sister and that her parents were currently separated, but close to getting back together. Mina's leaving for college as shown them that they did need each other and that without Mina around, they couldn't avoid each other and continue lying about their feelings. It always seems easier to say you hate someone when you don't see them. Serena also shared things about her life. About her little brother and her parents, as well as how her cousin was an RA in one of the other buildings, and that they could never have any real wild parties in the room because he'd find out about it then tell her parents.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much Serena. I like going to parties, but wouldn't want to have one. I mean, you have to clean up after them and things tend to get broken." Mina said as they walked back from the DC after dinner.

"Yeah, that's how I see it too." Serena agreed.

"There's an ice cream social in the Rec Room tonight, do you want to go?" Mina asked as they walked into their room.

"Sure, I don't see why not." Serena answered as she looked at what was left for her to un-pack, " I only have one more box, when does it start?"

"In about an hour, so we have time." Mina answered as she sat down at her desk.

"Ok. Have you met anyone in the hall yet?" Serena asked as she opened the box.

"Not really, I got here yesterday and have been un-packing since." Mina answered.

"It looks like everyone's in the same boat then." Serena commented as she began putting things in their place in her room.

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"Wow, a lot of people live here." Mina commented as they came downstairs into the Rec Room for the social.

"Hey Serena, the posters were wrong, this isn't just a Unit 2 social, it's a combination of Unit 2 and 3 social." Rita informed her.

"Oh, Cool. Well, let's mingle." Serena said as she and Mina looked at the crowed of people and decided to dive head first into meeting people.

It was a productive night. Both Mina and Serena met a lot of people. But three girls stuck out in Serena's mind. She knew she'd be friends with them. They had the same sense of humor and enjoyed the same things. They were Lita, Amy, and Raye. Lita and Amy lived in her Unit, both on the second floor. Raye lived in Unit 3, on the second floor. Deciding to skip out on the ice cream, Mina, Serena, Raye, Lita, and Amy decided to hang out in someone's room to talk some more with out the constant interruption of guys asking them about their relationship status.

"Leaving so soon?" A man with stormy blue eyes and jet black hair asked as they walked through the doors back into Unit 2.

"Yeah. You look familiar, do I know you?" Serena asked as she looked at the man.

"Darien Chiba. I'm friends with Andrew. We went bowling together this past summer." Darien told her.

"Oh yeah, now I remember. So, you're an RA in this building?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, first floor. I have to get out there, it was good seeing you." Darien said as he walked out to where the social was.

"See ya around." Serena said after him as they walked up to Serena and Mina's room.

"Serena, that's a beautiful ring, where did you get it?" Amy asked as she pointed to the ring that sat on Serena's right ring finger.

"My mother gave it to me last year. I wanted a class ring, but didn't want to pay a hundred and fifty dollars for it. So my mom got me this one so I would have a ring on my hand." Serena said sweetly.

"What kind of design is that? I think I've seen it before." Lita asked as she took a closer look at Serena's ring.

"It's called a Claddagh ring. It's an Irish ring. Here, see how there are two hands holding a heart and a crown on top of the heart?" Serena asked as she took off her ring and held it out to show them.

After getting a nod or yes Serena continued, " When it's worn on the right hand with the heart facing out, away from the body, it means the wearers heart is available; when the crown is facing out, away from the body, it means love is being considered. And when it's worn on the left hand with the crown facing out, it means the heart is spoken for." Serena explained.

"Wow, so much for something so small." Mind gawked.

"Yeah, I think the main reason my mom got it was so she could tell when I got a boyfriend." Serena laughed as she put her ring back on..

"Good thing my mom doesn't know about this ring." Raye commented.

"I did a report on Celtic folklore, that's where I knew your ring from." Lita said.

"Serena, how do you wear your ring?" Amy asked as she noticed that Serena rotated her ring when she took it off and rotated it again when she put it on. Currently, her hands were folded and her ring was hidden.

"I wear it with the heart out. I don't have a boyfriend." Serena said as she moved her hands so they could her ring again.

"Well, at least we're all single." Raye commented.

"Are we?" Lita asked as they looked around.

With everyone's nod, they all laughed.

"Well, college will certainly be an experience." Mind said.

"Yeah, it sure will. I'm glad I met you guys." Serena agreed.

"Me too." Raye said as Lita and Amy nodded their agreement.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Ring**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

AN: Haha! I knew I forgot something in the last chapter... I guess that's what I get for finishing it at 1am. Anyways, I put asterisks (Well, I did, but they didn't show up in the conversion.) by RA, DC, and Rec Room ( I believe). Many of you might not know what these things are, and since I am going to be using them a lot throughout my story I think I better let you know. RA(s) are Residential Assistance, they're like camp counselors, but way cooler and they live on your floor, DC is the Dining Commons, pretty much the cafeteria with really bad food, and the Rec Room is like a living room with a pool table, ping-pong table, TV, vending machines, and a few couches and chairs. Hope ya like it!!

_Chapter Two: Spare Time_

Before they knew it, Mina, Serena, Amy, Lita, and Raye got in to a rhythm. They all had a two hour break for lunch and all were out of class by 5 o'clock for dinner. So that's what they did. They would meet for lunch, then meet for dinner. Serena and Amy both were out of class by 3 o'clock so they would watch "Law and Order" and "Mythbusters" in Amy's room until five then go to dinner. The first five weeks of school passed quickly. The girls talked to each other a lot and, of course, became close by then end of the second week. But a curve ball was thrown in at the end of the fifth week. One noone saw coming.

"Ok, don't forget; Darien's on duty tonight. So, if you have any problems before I get back call him." Andrew reminded Serena.

"Ok, Drew. You've only said that about 15 times. Nothing's going to happen and I need to stop acting like my older brother. You have fun on your date with Rita and don't worry about me." Serena urged as she pushed him towards her room door.

"I worry about you, Sere. I mean, you're you." Andrew argued.

"You were going to say I was a girl weren't you?" Serena asked, taking his silence as a yes, she continued, "Drew, I'm 18. I'm a legal adult now and can take care of myself. Go on, Rita's waiting. I promise to call Darien if anything worth calling him about happens." Serena promised just to get him out of her hair.

"Ok, have a good night. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Andrew said as he finally left.

"Have fun and relax a little!" Serena called after him as he walked down the hall, "He can drive me so batty sometimes!" Serena then complained to Mina as she closed their room door.

"I can only imagine. So, what are the plans for tonight?" Mina asked.

"I have a paper due this week that I was hoping to get a head start on tonight." Serena answered as she sat down at her laptop.

"Oh, ok. I have some reading I need to catch up on." Mina then said after a thought.

"How much reading do you have?" Serena asked with a smile.

"Well, the professor assigns about a chapter a class and I have that class twice a week; so about 10 chapters. Give or take." Mina answered.

"Mina! Read!" Serena ordered with a laugh as she opened a new window and pulled out her book and notes to begin typing her paper.

Just as Serena began hitting her keys and Mina began to actually read, the room across the hall began to play music extremely loud.

Heaving a sigh, Serena looked at her door then to Mina.

"They'll quiet down soon. Everyone's a little loud at this time." Mina commented as she checked the clock.

"I hope so." Serena muttered as she checked the time, It was 8 o'clock.

As 9 o'clock rolled around, Serena had given up at writing her paper and was surfing the net, headphones plugged into her laptop, hoping to drown out the loud hip-hop/rap music blasting from the room across from them. That's when the doors began to slam. It seems people liked to come and go from the room a lot and didn't seem to notice how the pulled the door closed hard, causing it to slam. Or shoved it their foot, making it slam. As soon as it started, Serena became very antsy. She stopped fooling around on her laptop and began to do mundane things; like cleaning up her desk, making her bed, organizing things. By 10 o'clock, Serena had a headache and was shaking. Not extremely noticeable shaking, but if she held out her hand, you could see it shake slightly. Looking over to Mina, Serena saw that she too had put her headphones on and was just surfing the net. Mina hadn't noticed Serena's restlessness.

_I should tell them to shut up._ Serena thought as she headed for her door, then felt a sudden dread.

_Drew, I need to call Drew. Wait, he's on a date._ Serena thought frantically, completely forgetting about Darien.

Looking to her phone, she debated calling Drew or not. She knew if she called him, he would come back right away to help here. She didn't want to do that to Rita. As she continued to debate it over, her phone rang. Grabbing it quickly she answered, not looking at the caller id beforehand.

"Hello?" Serena answered, trying to make her voice less shaky.

"Sere? Is everything ok?" Andrew asked, worry in his tone as he heard her voice.

"I'm just kinda having a panic attack now." Serena admitted quickly, letting all her fear into her voice.

"I'm on my way over." He said quickly as Serena heard a door slam both through his phone and on the other side of her door.

"Thanks, Drew." Serena whispered.

"It'll be ok. I'm going to call Darien. I'll be there soon." Andrew promised as he hung up.

Putting her phone on her bed. Serena began to pace her room. Too nervous to sit still. Finally there was a knock at her door. She looked through the eye hole and saw a familiar blonde haired blue eyed man she grew up with.

Serena whispered, "Drew." as she opened the door and ushered him into her room quickly.

"Are you ok?" he asked once the door was closed and the noise from the hall muffled.

"Just a little shaken." Serena answered.

"Why didn't you call Darien? Or me? I would have come back." Andrew asked sternly.

"I didn't want to ruin your date and I kinda forgot about Darien. I was going to tell them to turn it down, but the noise got to me first and I couldn't do it when I had gotten fed up with it." Serena answered lamely.

"It's ok. At least you're ok." Andrew said as they both heard Darien knocking at the other door.

"What's going to happen now?" Serena asked quietly.

"Dare's going to clear the room and most likely write up a documentation." Andrew answered as he leaned towards Serena's door to listen to what was happening.

"I didn't want them to get in trouble." Serena said, almost throwing open the door to stop Darien.

"Sere, don't. I could hear the music half way across the lawn. That's at least 300 feet away. It's definitely a documentation." Andrew told her.

"I didn't know it was that loud." Serena whispered as she tried to scale how loud it really was.

"Yeah, it was that loud." Andrew reiterated as he turned away from the door, "Dare's going to come up here and talk to you in a while. He doesn't want it to make it look like you called him."

"Ok, that's good. So, how was your date?" Serena asked, wanting to think of something other then what she was feeling at the moment.

Getting the hint, Andrew told her about it. He told her how he and Rita went to dinner at a small Thai restaurant then went to go see a movie. He was just about to tell her what movie when there was a knock at the door.

Andrew turned quickly and opened it, ushering Darien in with out second thought.

"Oh, sorry, is it ok that Dare comes in?" Andrew asked after he closed the door.

"A little lat now, but yeah, it's ok. I'd rather have him in here then out there." Serena told him with a small forced smile.

"Serena, did you confront them at all about the noise level before Drew called me?" Darien asked.

"No, I was going to, but didn't." Serena answered, not wanting to admit she was afraid to tell them to turn it down.

"Ok, it looks like someone ripped down your name tag, it could have just fallen down. We just need to make sure they weren't targeting you or anything." Darien answered as his head snapped quickly to the door.

Mumbled voices came from the other side and both Andrew and Darien leaned in towards the door to try and hear what was being said beyond the door.

"Thanks guys." Serena said sarcastically.

"Right, sorry. You have the duty phone number, right?" Darien asked.

"Give me your phone." Andrew demanded as Serena didn't answer Darien's question.

"I'll put it in." Serena muttered as she picked up her cell phone.

Darien rattled off the number as Serena added it to her phone.

"Happy?" Serena asked once she had it saved.

"Yes, very. Now if anything happens call that number." Andrew told her.

"I will. Thanks." Serena smiled as Darien. This time it wasn't forced.

"Ok, well I need to do a round. I think Kai and I are going to do a round right after quiet hours begin." Darien said as he opened the door.

"Ok, keep quiet. Gotcha." Serena said.

"Thanks Dare." Andrew said as his friend left the room.

"Does he know?" Serena asked once the door was closed.

"Yeah, I told him last year. I also told him I felt bad for you; mainly because I would only have to deal with it ever once and a while but you'd have to deal with it everyday. Don't worry, he can't come here. Try to relax. I think Darien will keep things quiet, at least for the rest of the night." Andrew assured her.

"Thank you, Andrew. I think I'm going to take a shower. It'll help me relax a little. I'll call you if I can't relax and am still on edge." Serena said.

"If you are, come over to my room. We can watch some movies or something, ok?" Andrew offered.

"I will." Serena said softly.

"Take your shower." Andrew said as he left the room.

Serena looked over to Mina, who now was looking at her. A question in her eyes, yet her lips stayed still.

"I guess you heard when Drew and Darien came in." Serena sighed as she say down on her bed. One leg folded under her and the other hanging off the bed. Her breathing was still quick and she was still shaking.

"You don't have to tell me." Mina offered quietly.

"No, you live with me. You should know." Serena told her as she prepared herself for what she was about to do.

After a moment, Serena began; " My uncle is a paranoid schizophrenic. He, at times, has been violent. He lived with my family for the past 18 years. He's had several episodes of believing people are coming after him and has threatened my parents. One of his first episodes, one where we should have kicked him out with, was when I was about 5. My mom and I were doing laundry downstairs; my house is two stories, and he came in and held my mom against the wall. Choking her against the wall. He was saying that she had sent people to spy on him and stuff like that. I don't remember much of it." Serena shook her head, her eyes slightly glazed over, as if she were seeing into the past.

"Of course we didn't kick him out, he had no where to go. And that was the only episode he had, until a few years ago. And since then they were getting continuously worse. He would slam doors and vacuum constantly. He would yell. All of this happening at un-godly hours of the night. He cut the cable line and fooled with the circuit breaker. He broke his computer monitor and tv saying that people were spying on him through them. He accused my father of being a spy and turning my mother against him. It finally hit a breaking point when I was a junior. I came home from school one day to find him vacuuming the deck stairs. I backed my car into it's parking spot and turned off the engin. He ran down the stairs and got into my car telling me assassins were in the house and that we needed to go. I tried to stay calm, telling him that no one was there and that it was ok. Finally he got out of my car to do or get something and I closed and locked my car to go upstairs to call my parents. I got to the front door and couldn't get it open. It turns out he had tried to kick the door open and had bent one of the parts of the door. I finally got into the house, grabbed the phone and called my mom. It turned out that my brother was home and had already called her; because of that, she told me to get him and leave the house. So we did. My uncle was arrested. Long story short, he was released and came back. Yet again, we didn't kick him out and it started all over again. This time he brought a hose into his room and soaked the carpet. He was yet again arrested and released, but this time he is not allowed near our house. His room was a mess. We had to rip up the carpet and re-paint the walls." Serena muttered as she looked up at Mina.

"Serena, I.." Mina began, but was at a loss for words.

"It's ok. But it's because of him that I cannot handle loud music or slamming doors. When he would yell and stuff, I'd block it out with music. I'm surprised my hearing is still as good as it is." Serena commented.

"I can understand that." Mina said, not really knowing what else to say.

"Yeah, Andrew knows and that's why he's kinda protective of me. I better go and take my shower. I need to relax." Serena said as she got off her bed and put on her robe, "I hope this doesn't make things weird between us." Serena said as she looked to Mina.

"No, I'm glad you're honest with me and trust me enough to tell me this." Mina answered with a smile.

"I'm glad you're my roommate. I'll be back in a while." Serena said as she left her room to go to take her shower.

Though Serena took a quick shower, by the time she came out of the bathroom, Darien and Kai were doing a round. Giving them a small smile, Serena quickly went into her room to call her cousin.

"Drew, I feel a lot better now. I think I'm going to read then go to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow,'Kay?" Serena said quickly.

"Ok, Sere. Talk to you tomorrow." Andrew replied, taking in hoe tired she sounded.

"Thanks, for everything Drew. Bye." Serena said as she hung up, "You don't mind, do you? If we call it an early night tonight." Serena then asked Mina.

"No, not at all." Mina said with a smile as she got ready to take a shower.

"Thanks." Serena said as she brushed out her wet hair, " Oh, you may want to wait a few minutes before you go out there, Darien and Kai are doing a round and telling people to quiet down." Serena warned.

"Ok, thanks." Mina said as she busied herself with brushing her hair and getting all of her shower things together.

The rest of the night was quiet and Serena thanked her lucky stars the Andrew had great friends and that they lived in her building.

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"I'll see you later Serena, I have to get to class." Mina said as she left Serena in the lobby of Unit 2.

"Ok, see ya." Serena called after her as she turned to the front desk, "Hi Darien." She smiled.

"Hey Serena, how are you doing?" Darien asked, obviously referring to last night.

"Good. Thank you, for everything." Serena said as she leaned on the desk.

"You're welcome. I'm glad to help. So is it true that you and Andrew are so close, you're practically brother and sister?" Darien asked as he continued his work of recording packages that had to be picked up.

"Sadly, yes. And he acts like it too. Though, after last night, I'm glad he does." Serena commented.

"So, what do you do in your spare time, now that you're a college student?" Darien asked, trying to make small talk.

"Well, not study; if that's what you're asking." Serena answered with a smile and a small chuckle.

"Well, I know that." Darien chuckled as well, "I mean, do you like to draw or write."

"I like to sleep." Serena answered with a frown.

"Ok." Darien laughed.

"Well, I guess I like to write. And I like to read too. Don't laugh. I bet you like sleeping too." Serena scoffed at him.

"Ok, ok. I do like sleeping. What do you read?" Darien then asked, deciding not to pursue that writing option.

"Anything I can get it to." Serena answered lightly. Her anger and hurt, if there was any, gone.

"That's cool. I'm the same way. I wish your cousin were like that." Darien said, a pleading note in his voice.

"I know, I've been working with him on that. But every time I suggest a book while we're at that bookstore, he says, 'I won't like that' or 'that looks boring'. He won't even try to read them." Serena complained.

"I've tried giving him books that I have read and enjoyed, but I get the same reaction." Darien agreed.

"Yeah, well, I've given up. I'm going to try one more book and if he doesn't want to read it; at least I'll get points for trying." Serena informed him.

"Really, what book?" Darien asked with interest.

"Truman Capote's _In Cold Blood_. I do believe Drew likes those kinds of books." Serena said.

"Hmm. I've been wanting to read that one as well." Darien said, thinking about it.

"If I get it, I might give it to you to read first." Serena said as she smiled at him.

"Cool. Thanks." Darien commented.

"No problem, at least this way someone will definitely enjoy the book." Serena said with a sigh as Darien looked at the clock.

"Well, time sure flies when someone else is her to help it move faster. It's time to close the desk." Darien commented as he moved all the clipboards and random papers off the desk where Serena was leaning.

"Really? Wow. Maybe I'll come by more often. It looks like a boring job." Serena observed.

"Well, it's fun while you're putting the mail in the actual boxes, but after that, it's pretty boring." Darien agreed.

"Hmm. Well I'll see ya around." Serena said as Darien reached up to pull down the gate to close the desk.

"Yeah, see ya." Darien yelled as Serena disappeared into the stair well.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Ring**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

_Chapter Three: Friends_

Yet again, things were going great. Serena and Darien spent time talking to each other every week at least once a week while he was on mail duty. They talked about anything and everything. They were what most would call 'fast friends'. Serena enjoyed they're talks because she didn't have to watch what she said around him. He already knew about her uncle, so she wouldn't have to worry about him seeing her upset and asking if anything was wrong. Like anyone with a family problem, Serena had good days and bad days and Darien understood that. During a bad day, he'd talk to her about mundane things and give her a cookie or piece of candy that they had behind the desk. Today was a bad day.

"Hey Serena, how was class?" Darien asked, his back towards her as she entered the lobby area.

"It was ok." Serena mumbled, her voice flat.

"I see. So, you got a package today." Darien said, hoping it would cheer her up some.

"Really?" Serena asked, surprise in her voice.

Darien knew surprise with Serena always led to happiness.

"Yeah, it's behind the desk. Let me get it for you. Hold on." Darien said as he left the mail box area and went behind the desk.

"I wonder who sent me something." Serena whispered as Darien retrieved her package and put it on the desk.

"There's no return address on it." Darien commented as he signed off on her picking up her package.

"Hmm..." Serena said as she used the pen she had signed off her package with to cut the tape that held closed her package.

"I could have handed you a pair of scissors." Darien laughed as he watched her original method of opening a package.

"Why when I was already holding the pen?" Serena asked as she pulled out the card that laid on the top.

Opening the card, Serena noticed that it was her friend Molly's hand writing.

"The package is from my friend Molly." Serena said as she continued to read the card, a smile on her face because it was from Molly.

_Serena,_

_I found this and immediately thought of you, I know you like this design and that it means a lot to you. I bet you're wondering why there is no return address on the package, well, I'm not living at my house anymore. _

Suddenly Serena's smile turned to a frown as she read.

_My father and I got into a fight. I didn't tell you this before, but Tina got kicked out of her house and has kinda moved in with me. It was supposed to be temporary, but it seems that she and my father want it to be permanent. So, I have moved in with Melvin. Hence, the no return address. I still go home to get my mail and me changing my address would cause my father to lose his federal housing._

_Don't worry about me, I already know you're frowning now and thinking you have to come home and help me, you don't. Melvin and I are going to move into our own place in about a year and I have everything under control. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT ME. Have fun and I'll see you in a couple of weeks for Turkey Day._

_Love,_

_Molly._

Serena smiled and shook her head as she folded the card and put it back into it's envelope.

"Ok, that was a huge change in emotion." Darien commented as Serena looked up at him.

"My friend moved out of her house. But she specifically told me not to worry about her and told me to not come home, knowing that I was thinking at the exact moment I read her letter. She know's me really well." Serena smiled.

"What did she send ya?" Darien asked as he looked into the box.

"That wasn't in the letter, per say. She did say that it was a symbol I liked though and that meant a lot to me." Serena answered as she lifted the tissue paper that covered a newspaper wrapped object.

Serena took the object out of the box and carefully unwrapped it.

"That's beautiful." Darien commented as Serena looked at it.

It was a framed drawing of the kanji symbol Dream. The drawing was in layers and beneath the symbol was a cherry blossom branch and beneath that was a full moon. The back of the drawing was a dark deep blue.

"My god, she know's me well." Serena whispered as she looked continued looking at the drawing.

"What does that symbol mean?" Darien asked.

"It mean's 'Dream'. She knows that my dreams were the one thing that kept me from running away from my uncle. She know's my dreams are what keep me going." Serena whispered as she looked up at Darien, tears filling her eyes. "I can't believe she found something like this. I've been looking everywhere for this symbol, but it's one of the uncommon one's." Serena added.

"Everywhere? How so?" Darien asked, seeing her moon change from sad to happy.

"Well, literally everywhere. Jewelry, paintings, drawings. Anything that could hold this symbol. It means that much to me. More jewelry then paintings, mainly because I could wear it and show it to people." Serena said after a thought.

"Like pendents and earrings?" Darien asked.

"Pendents, or necklaces. I don't have pierced ears." Serena informed him.

"Ah, I see." Darien said as he looked at her earlobes.

"I had pierced ears, but the got infected and closed up." Serena said with a smile.

"I would think someone talking about an infection wouldn't be smiling." Darien commented as he picked up a pile of mail and took it to the mailboxes to be put in their proper box.

"Well, it was a long time ago and I don't remember it being painful." Serena answered with a smile.

"I see." Darien agreed with Serena's mentality.

"I'm going to go and hang this up. I'll see you later, Darien." Serena smiled as she headed for the stairs.

"See ya." Darien responded as she disappeared up the stairs.

11111111111111

After Serena's package, her mood over the next couple of weeks was great. She didn't have a bad day and she always walked around with a smile. In turn, Serena's good mood made Andrew relax and be happy as well as Darien. Serena didn't know it, but both Andrew and Darien worried about her constantly. Andrew because Serena was his cousin and Darien because, he says it's because their friends, but Andrew believes its something more.

"Just admit it, Dare, you like her." Andrew tried convincing him one day as they sat in Dariens' room playing a video game.

"I do like her, as a friend. And that's it. Also, it's in our contract to be RA's. No relationships with residents." Darien said as he attempted to kill Andrew in the game.

"Nice try, both in the game and what we're talking about. I see how you're protective of her. Hell, you're almost as bad as me. How is she today?" Andrew asked as he picked up a life vest in the game to bring his health back to normal.

"She's ok. Not sad, but not overly happy like she was a couple of weeks ago. But I think that'll change later today." Darien answered as he picked up ammo.

"See, you keep track of her. Where'd you get the flame thrower?" Andrew asked, surprised it was in this game.

"My little secret. What time is it?" Darien asked as he paused the game.

"Almost 3, why?" Andrew asked, looking at his friend.

"I have mail duty. Come on. Your cousin should be showing up soon too." Darien commented as he saved their game and turned off the game system.

"You know her schedule?" Andrew asked, one eyebrow raised in suspicion.

"Well, we talk every Thursday while I'm on mail duty. It's hard not to know when she'll be here." Darien answered, hoping he sounded convincing that it was nothing more then routine. That they were only friends.

"Right, come on." Andrew said as he tossed Darien his keys and opened his door.

"Stop smirking." Darien warned as they walked down the hall.

"I'm not smirking. And come on, you need to hear yourself." Andrew argued.

"And you need a life, so you'll stop interfering with mine." Darien countered.

"Ouch, that hurt." Andrew laughed.

"I bet." Darien responded with a sigh as he opened the desk and began to sort the mail.

And like clockwork, Serena walked in the doors at 3:15.

"Hey Darien, Andrew?" Serena asked as she saw her cousin at the front desk, "Do you live here now too?"

"No, just here." Andrew answered with a smile.

"Right, don't you have a test to study for or something?" Serena asked.

"Hehe, right; I'll see you later." Andrew said, his laughter and smile disappearing.

"You do have a test, don't you?" Darien asked as he took in his friends facial expression.

"Yeah, a big one. See ya." Andrew said as he quickly left the building to go back to his.

"Silly boy." Serena muttered after him as she turned back to Darien, "So, how's your day been?"

"It's been ok. Hanging out with your cousin, killing him in Goldeneye." Darien commented.

"Good, he really only plays against me in Goldeneye; and I suck at those games. It's good he's getting his butt handed back to him." Serena smiled.

"Yeah, it looks like you've got another package." Darien said as he put a medium sized box on the desk.

"Really? It seems you're always the one who logs in my packages." Serena smiled as she signed for her package and began opening it with the pen.

"And every time I do, you unconventionally open it." Darien smiled as he began to log in the other packages for the building.

"Well, college student. We think outside of the box." Serena responded as she continued to open her package. "Have you ever heard of this company?" Serena asked as she pulled out an invoice slip.

"No, I haven't." Darien answered; luckily Serena was preoccupied by her package to notice his smile.

"I wonder what it is." Serena commented as she fished through the packing paper that surrounded a small box with the company's logo on the lid.

Opening the package she found a necklace. The chain was silver and dangling from the chain was a silver pendent. The pendent was a sterling silver 'dream' character.

"Oh my. Who sent this to me?" Serena asked in amazement as she looked for a return address, "There's no return address on it." Serena said as she again looked at the packing paper. Hoping she would find a note or card.

"Must be some secret admirer." Darien guessed as he looked down to sort the mail, "Must have gotten your address off facebook or something."

"I don't have my address on facebook. Or Myspace. It has to be Molly; but she can't afford something like this. Maybe Shane?" Serena asked, more to herself then to Darien, "No, Shane doesn't have the money either, and why would he waste it on me when he could be spending it on Kaylee. But who could it be? Who ever it is know's me well; they knew where I live, they know that I'm not allergic to sterling silver, they know this is my favorite symbol." Serena murmured as Darien left the behind the desk area and walked around to the front lobby area.

"Well, list off the people who know all of those things." Darien suggested as he picked up a stack of mail off of the desk and walked to the mail boxes.

"Ok. Well, Andrew, Rita, Molly, Melvin, Shane, Kaylee, Mom and Dad, Sammy, Mina, Raye, Lita, Amy, and you. That's all that know all of those." Serena said.

"Ok, now narrow it down to who has the money or who would have sent it to you." Darien advised as he picked up another stack of mail.

"Ok. As I said Molly, Melvin, Shane, and Kaylee wouldn't. Sammy doesn't have the money for something like this. Mom and Dad don't exactly know this symbol. Mina, Raye, Amy, and Lita would have given it to me in person. So that leaves you, Andrew, and Rita." Serena said as she looked up and met his eyes, "Darien, you didn't?" She then asked.

"It looks good on you, Serena. And it wasn't that much. I won't take it back and I've informed the company that sells this to continue to send it back to you." Darien told her.

"But Darien, it's too much." Serena began to argue.

"No, it's not. I like how your eyes light up when you see this symbol. If you're wearing it all the time, you'll always be happy. Take it; because if you don't it'll just sit in the box in my room. As I said, it looks good on you." Darien reminded her.

"Thank you." Serena whispered as she hugged him.

"You're welcome. Now then, how did you know Andrew had a test he had to study for?" Darien asked, getting off the topic of the gift he had given her.

"His mom called me to make sure he studied for it." Serena smiled.

"And I thought my mom was bad." Darien muttered as turned back to the mail boxes, happy he made Serena happy with his gift.

"My mom called you?" Andrew asked from the Rec room doors, surprising both Serena and Darien.

"Yeah, you studying for your test?" Serena asked.

"Rita's going to help me study. I wish my mom wouldn't do that." Andrew mumbled as he walked into the lobby.

"So. Drew, how's Rita gonna help you?" Darien asked with an eyebrow raised in suspicion.

"NO, Drew, don't answer that. You're gross Darien. I don't need to know my cousin's personal life!" Serena yelled as she vigorously shook her head; making her new necklace catch the light.

"What's that?" Andrew asked, forgetting the innuendo his friend had brought up.

"Oh, this. I got it in the mail today." Serena said as she brought it away from her chest to fiddle with it between her fingers.

"Well, I figured that. Who sent it to you?" Andrew asked as he watched her.

Serena looked towards Darien who looked a little fearful of what her answer would be, "There was no card and no return address." Serena answered honestly since Andrew always could tell when she was lying.

"Ok." Andrew responded as he looked from Serena to Darien.

"Right, I have some reading to get done. I'll see you guys later." Serena said quickly as she left the lobby and practically ran up the stairs to her floor.

"Just friends Dare?" Andrew asked, making it known that he saw Serena look at him when he had asked about her necklace.

"Yeah, just friends. It's normal for friends to give each other gifts." Darien answered as he continued to put the mail in their appropriate box.

"Not necklaces." Andrew informed him

"Don't be so protective. It's a gift, nothing more. She like's that symbol and I was able to find it. That's all it is." Darien said sternly.

"Ok, but if it becomes something more, please tell me. I'd hate to have to kill my best friend." Andrew said as he walked though the lobby and to the hall door that led to his girlfriends room.

"Drew, would it change things between us?" Darien asked quietly.

"Probably not. But if you hurt her, I'll kill you. Nothing personal." Andrew answered with a joking smile.

"I thought as much. Say hi to Rita for me." Darien smiled back as he continued his work and Andrew went off to "study".


End file.
